Oakley Continues to be Ranked Among Safest Cities in California

Oakley made another list! According to the National Council for Home Safety and Security, Oakley ranks 21st in an evaluation of the safest cities in California.

Oakley was the only east county city making the cut, however other nearby cities included Danville (3rd), Orinda (5th), Moraga (7th), San Ramon (17th), Clayton (23rd), and Hercules (66th).

According to the analysis, Oakley experienced 1.35 incidents of violent crime per 1,000 residents compared to the State average of 4.44 and 10.30 incidents of property crime which is far below the State average of 26.45.

“This is confirmation of what Oakley residents already know. We thank Oakley residents for their support of our Police Department and ask that they continue to be partners, by reporting any suspicious activity,” stated Police Chief, Chris Thorsen.

“It is our intent to continue to make this list and all like lists. The City Council has provided clear direction in prioritizing public safety and that which helps preserve Oakley’s small town character. This is evidence by the addition of 5 police officers since we discontinued the contract with the Sheriff’s Office and established our own Police Department. The savings were used as we stated,” said Mayor Randy Pope.

In making the determination of the safest cities the National Council for Home Safety and Security reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics in addition to population data and “internal research”. The cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes and property crimes per 1,000 people. These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 1.5 of the total (due to their severity) than property crimes. The analysis excluded cities with populations of less than 10,000.

The National Council for Home Safety and Security is a national trade association comprised of licensed alarm installers, contractors, and other relevant trade groups across the United States. Per their website the Council’s stated goal is to further industry education and public knowledge about home safety and security.